The British Larder Waldorf Salad

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Prep time:

20 min

Cook time:

6 min

Total time:

26 min

Portion/Yield:

Serves 4

Difficulty:

Easy

I love classic recipes and this Waldorf salad is a good old classic but in the flesh it’s modern, pretty and looks incredibly sexy. Well technically speaking this Waldorf salad has been ‘British Lardered’ and is not the traditional version.

Instead I have added a delicious creamy Oxford Blue to the mayonnaise base to add a touch of zing, difference and excitement to this old classic.

Well I never thought that I would ever hear myself saying a Waldorf salad looks sexy but this one does. This salad does not only look fantastic but also tastes wonderful. I have chosen to use Oxford Blue cheese, I like the perfect balance of the creaminess, acid and the fragrance of the blue.You could substitute the Oxford Blue for any creamy blue cheese of your choice, such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola or Suffolk Blue.

This Waldorf version works for me on all levels, it’s got a diverse range of textures from the crisp crunch of the granny Smith apples, celery and the roasted walnuts to the soft texture of the crumbly Oxford Blue and finally the creaminess of the Oxford Blue dressing.

It’s not only the textures that deliver and make this salad exciting but also the flavours. The strength of the blue cheese stands up against the tang of the granny Smith apple and the pepperiness of the watercress. All the flavours and textures work well together and make this salad interesting and delicious, or shall I say memorable and exciting.

I have chosen to use Granny Smith apples as I wanted the tangy sharpness that this variety of apple brings to this dish. You can customise your Waldorf salad to suit your own tastes, choose an apple of your choice, or even change the walnuts for others such as cobnuts, pecan nuts or hazelnuts.

When you are ready to serve, remove the core with an apple corer, then use a mandolin to slice the apples into 2 -3mm thick slices, keep the apples together to make them look as if they are whole again.

Lightly dress each slice with the dressing and place the apple in it’s natural shape in the centre of the chosen plate.

Arrange the celery batons, roasted walnuts and watercress round the apple, crumb the cheese and divide it between the plates and spoon on drops of the dressing and serve immediately.